[ScottWells]

Hi, I've read the FAQs and wasn't able to find answers to a few outstanding questions I have about retrofitting my '04 B6 S4 sedan with a US RNS-E. If these have already been answered somewhere and I just didn't find the answers for whatever reason, please redirect me as appropriate.

1. I have the multifunction steering wheel. Will it work with the RNS-E? If so, what will it control? I would assume volume if anything, but will what will the track and disk skip controls do? I know that the B7 comes with a different set of controls with a click wheel. I'm hoping that the multifunction steering wheel in my car will allow me to accomplish most of what you can with the B7 wheel.

2. I've been getting mixed messages on whether my factory XM will work. I have the non-BOSE audio (Symphony II?) system with factory XM. Again, my car is an '04. I'm pretty sure I've read that my existing XM receiver will not work even with the US RNS-E, but now I've heard that it should just work out of the box. Anyone have a definitive answer on this?

3. I've seen that the RNS-E will work with some Bluetooth adapters. Can someone describe how this works? I have ordered a Palm Treo 650 and would love it if I could make that work with the S4 for hands-free link.

Oh, and I was originally registered on this forum under the name SCWells72, but that account seems to be disabled for some reason. Since I haven't posted anything I would consider at all questionable and I couldn't find a link to email an administrator, I re-registered under this name. If a moderator and/or administrator would like to consolidate these accounts, please let me know why my original account was disabled and feel free to lump the two in with each other.

Thanks in advance,
Scott Wells

 

[rosnik]

1-I retrofited RNS-E on my A4B6 too, no problem for steering control.

 

[PROXUS]

1. mostlikely your steering wheel functionality will not change. Volme should work without problems and skip buttons will work same way as skip buttons on the upper right part of the Nav.

2. Audi released recently special XM tuner for RNS-E NAV. I was in the same spot...I had OEM XM in my 04. I heard station audio but I couldn't controll it.
Finally I bought new XM tuner for RNS-E and everything is fine.

Part number are:

SAT RADIO receivers:
8E0 057 593 Sirius without RNS-E and without tire pressure monitoring system
8E0 057 593 A XM without RNS-E and without tire pressure monitoring system
8E0 057 593 D Sirius for RNS-E and/or with tire pressure monitoring system
8E0 057 593 E XM for RNS-E and/or with tire pressure monitoring system

You need the last one with "E"...it's about $480-550 at the dealeship.

3. I use Parrot CK3000 as a bluetooth adapter. It's not the latest but I have it for a while and works fine. You can also check some topics about OEM Audi BT systems.

Your confirmation email probaly didn't go through or was caught by spam filter. Some of the accounts need to be enabled manually.

 

[AudiA4B6US]

Bluetooth should work but you won't be able to use the RNS-E to make/accept calls. Some have installed a Parrot BT kit without any issue. The RNS-E must be coded for "no phone" if used with a non-OEM phone kit. The phone kit will only mute teh RNS-E and display PHONE in the DIS. You will need to use the speaker and microphone

Check the part number on your XM receiver. I'm pretty sure it's an "A" unit which doesn't work with the RNS-E. The "E" XM receiver is the one you are looking for. Without the new receiver you wil be able to listen to the last selected station but you won't be able to change the station (someone should really create a blackbox which translates the new commands for the old receiver :x ).

As rosnik said, the steering wheel should work as before if the RNS-E is properly coded.

 

[ScottWells]

This is GREAT info! So I likely wouldn't get a glovebox CD changer to replace the in-dash one if I went with an RNS-E. When you are listening to MP3s on an SD card, what do the track and disk skip controls do? I assume the track skip controls...well...skip MP3 "tracks". Do the disk skip controls do anything? Also, when you're in the navigation screen, do the steering wheel controls do anything? Like can you effectively select a destination with the steering wheel? Not a big thing if you can't since I can't imagine myself wanting to do that often, but just trying to get a feel for what works from the wheel and what doesn't.

Thanks again for all the great info. Now I just need to convince my wife that factory look-and-feel plus MP3 playback justify the price premium over a TomTom GO 700 or Garmin C330!

 

[PROXUS]

Not sure about controlling the nav, I't more complicated than skiping tracks

....and skiping MP3 tracks works the same way as CD tracks

 

[ScottWells]

Yeah, if I remember right, on the B7's (and A6's) steering wheel, the scroll wheel can be used to navigate the menus for navigation and all. Scroll up and down is like rotating the knob and clicking the scroll wheel is like clicking the knob. I had assumed those controls wouldn't translate into the old wheel, but worth asking.

 

[ScottWells]

Okay, I think I'm ready to commit...

One more question here. I'm planning to buy a US spec RNS-E from the user powertony. The description of the items for sale is here:

http://www.navplus.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=453&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

The only feedback I see on him is from two folks on that thread who have exactly one post each. I'm looking for any type of feedback on him from other members of the forum. I've spoken with Tony over IM and email and he seems very nice and honest and we'd conduct the transaction over PayPal which of course features a repudiation mechanism. However, it doesn't change the fact that it's a non-negligible transaction. This line of questioning isn't at all intended to be a ding on him, but of course it doesn't hurt to check the available resources first...

Any info from those in the know?

Thanks yet again,
Scott

 

[smeeg]

yes powertony is honest! i can speak for him, i got my navi system in a day!!! just cannot wait to install this badboy!

 

[ScottWells]

yes powertony is honest! i can speak for him, i got my navi system in a day!!! just cannot wait to install this badboy!

I truly expected as much based on our chats today. Thanks for the info, though. Looking forward to getting the nav!

 

[MCNJS4]

OK...I have exactly two posts now. Does that help? :wink:

I certainly understand why you would want to know other people's experiences with Powertony. It is alot of money to be sending to someone you don't know. But I can only say that my transaction was trouble-free. In fact, there was an issue with *my* PayPal payment in that it had to go through as some sort of electronic check which would take 3 days to clear. Tony shipped as soon as PayPal said the payment was set up...which was 3 days *before* the payment cleared and was in his hands. So he trusted me as much as I had to trust him.

At first, I was gonna go with Clair Parts because, according to what I saw on one post, Clair was only a couple hundred bucks more that what Tony was asking...so I thought it was a small price to pay for the extra feeling of confidence with the transaction. When I called Clair, they told me about some sort of 25% price increase or something like that...and I don't even remember the price they quoted but it was on the order of $3200 or $3300 or something crazy like that. So the price gap between Clair and Tony grew big enough to convince me to take the risk. Plus Tony also threw in the adapters, antenna, etc.

 

[ScottWells]

Okay, I sent Tony my deposit. Looking forward to this! Now two more quick questions about what to do next:

1. Is there a market for the Symphony head unit I pull out and replace with the RNS-E? Could I sell it on e-Bay? If so, how much should I expect to get for it, i.e., where should I expect to set a reserve price?

2. Similarly, if I decided to get the newer XM receiver to work with the RNS-E, is there a market for my existing XM receiver? Again, how much should I expect to get for it?

As always, thanks for the insights,
Scott

 

[PROXUS]

Not a big market for Symphony radios but should be any problem to sell XM tuner.
I sold mine on eBay for about $280

 

[MCNJS4]

My plan was to hold on to the Symphony II since, as PROXUS states, there isn't a big market. Plus this gives me the ability to re-install and hold on to the RNS-E should I sell the car (so I have the option of selling separately or installing in another Audi).

I do plan on getting the new XM tuner and selling the exsting one on ebay. This way, even if I go back to the Symphony II, the newer revision XM will still work. I think.